The JBL Everest Elite 750NC headphones combine wireless audio with noise cancellation, but the latter has a dramatic effect on sound quality.

Noise cancellation and Bluetooth headphones don't often mix. Bose changed the game with its excellent QuietComfort 35 headphones last year, and competitors have been trying to play catch up ever since. JBL's Everest Elite 750NC headphones, at $299.95, cost a bit less than the Bose model and deliver powerful bass response that can be adjusted using an app. But while the headphones are capable of delivering solid audio performance, the noise cancellation itself isn't very good, and has a major impact on sound quality.

Design

Available in steel blue, gunmetal gray, or silver, all of the circumaural (over-the-ear) Everest Elite 750NC models have a metallic, two-tone quality. It's a striking look, particularly the steel blue, and it's nice to see an audio company experimenting a little with textures and finishes. Even the surface of the leatherette earpads have an interesting sheen to them, while the memory foam padding inside is exceptionally comfortable, as is the padding on the underside of the headband.

There's a power switch on the right earcup's outer panel, as well as a multifunction button that controls playback and call management, and plus/minus buttons that control volume and track navigation. We're not huge fans of combining volume control and track skipping on the same button, as it's too easy to accidentally hold the button down and skip the track you're listening to when you mean to adjust the volume.

There are two more buttons on the right earcup, including a Bluetooth pairing button and a smart button labeled S. This button allows you to turn the noise cancellation on, or switch between Low and High Ambient Awareness modes. JBL's free app has an EQ section where you can listen through presets like Jazz or Bass, or create your own using a comprehensive 10-bands EQ. And of course, you can also simply disable the EQ.

The headphones ship with a longer-than-usual micro USB charging cable (that connects to the right earcup) and an audio cable for wired listening (that connects to the left). You can listen in powered mode with noise cancellation on, or in wired, passive mode to save battery life. The audio cable features a single-button inline remote control and mic, which offers better intelligibility for phone calls than the Bluetooth mic. In addition to the cables, the headphones ship with a hard shell case they fold down into.

JBL estimates battery life to be roughly 15 hours, but your results will vary with your volume levels and your mix of noise cancellation and wireless usage.

Performance

The Everest Elite's noise cancellation is merely decent. In noisy environments, like planes, trains, or rooms with loud AC units, the it does a solid job of eliminating various low-end rumbles and distracting whirs. But the circuitry creates an audible hiss, which sounds like a very quiet white noise blanket. In loud environments, or whenever you're playing music, you're less likely to hear the hiss, but it's always there. The Ambient Awareness setting lets in sound so you can monitor your surroundings, and works fairly well. The biggest issue is how the noise cancellation impacts audio performance, which we'll get to shortly.

The headphones have drivers capable of delivering powerful bass. On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife's "Silent Shout," you get a full, rich bass response. With no EQ and noise cancellation disabled, the bass response is somewhat restrained, but you can get seriously deep lows if you dial them up through the app. At top volumes, there is no distortion, though we should note that these headphones don't seem to get as loud as many competing models. At moderate volumes, the bass response is still quite substantial and can be boosted or cut to your heart's content.

With the EQ and NC disabled, Bill Callahan's "Drover," a track without much deep bass in the mix, gives us a better sense of the general sound signature. The drums on this track sound natural, whereas on some bass-forward models, they can sound ridiculously over the top. Again, it's quite possible to boost the lows here and achieve some thunder, but JBL doesn't let things get out of hand. Even at top bass levels, the drums sound full, lively, and rich, but not insanely powerful. The headphones really don't need much help from the app, though plenty of listeners will prefer a little extra bass.

Back to noise cancellation. If you turn it on while listening to audio, it's like you are basically wearing different headphones. With NC on, The Knife track has far more bass response, and at top volumes comes very close to distorting. If you add some bass into the mix using the EQ, things will distort wildly. Turn the EQ off again and play the same Bill Callahan track, and the drums now sound every bit like the thunderous, over-the-top hits we mentioned competing models having.

So it's a tale of two sound signatures here. The headphones are a wildly different beast in noise-canceling mode, which should never happen. In fact, while switching NC on and off while playing music, you actually hear the headphones sweeping from one sound signature to the other, as if an EQ filter is being enabled or disabled. This is not how noise cancellation is supposed to work.

Conclusions

If you're looking for the best in wireless noise cancellation, the aforementioned Bose QuietComfort 35 headphones—and their in-ear sibling, the Bose QuietControl 30—are the the best we've tested. We're also fans of the AKG N60 NC Wireless and the Libratone Q Adapt On-Ear. We don't hate the JBL Everest Elite 750NC, but the performance is just too inconsistent. If you crave the power these headphones can conjure and the versatility the adjustable EQ delivers, we won't judge. But JBL's noise cancellation is still not its greatest strength, and there are better options available.

JBL Everest Elite 750NC

JBL Everest Elite 750NC

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